Posted on 11/03/2023 9:22:02 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
When you give to your local food bank, make sure you're stocking their shelves with what they really need—and avoid what they don't.
Next time you’re headed to the grocery store, bulk up your shopping list with a few of these non-perishable items from Feeding America‘s wish list. They’re the items food pantries—and your neighbors in need—can really put to good use.
1. Applesauce
Plastic jars of unsweetened applesauce provide a quick snack, fiber and vitamin C. Applesauce also keeps well on food bank shelves.
2. Canned Beans
Loaded with protein and fiber, canned beans provide an excellent, nutritious way to fill a hungry tummy. Opt for the low-sodium varieties whenever possible.
3. Canned Chicken
It’s simple to toss this non-perishable item into soups and casseroles or add it to a sandwich or cracker. Its versatility and high protein content make it a popular item at food banks.
4. Canned Fish (Tuna and Salmon)
Canned fish has vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids and protein, and it makes for a quick and easy meal. Food banks are most in need of canned tuna and salmon.
5. Canned Meat (SPAM and Ham)
Grab some SPAM or canned ham and drop it into a food donation bin. It’s shelf-stable, doesn’t require much prep or equipment to eat, and delivers a quick hit of protein to keep individuals feeling full for longer.
6. Canned Vegetables
Colorful, nutrient-dense and fiber-rich vegetables are always in high demand, and canned varieties last the longest on a food bank’s shelves. Look for low-sodium options. Food banks often hand out recipes using the items they have. Consider including this recipe for a hearty casserole made with canned veggies along with your donation for the food pantry to share.
7. Cooking Oils (Olive and Canola)
Food banks rely heavily on these essential and pricier items being donated. Canola and olive oils are the best choices because of their monounsaturated fats and mild flavor. Our guide to cooking oils can help make sure you’re buying the healthiest options.
8. Crackers
Perfect as a snack or as a base for canned meats, crackers are shelf-stable and portable, making them ideal for snacks and lunches. Whole grain crackers are the best bet.
9. Dried Herbs and Spices
It’s hard to cook a tasty meal without herbs and spices, so drop some in your cart to donate. Stick to the basics, like oregano, basil, cumin, pepper, rosemary, thyme and cinnamon.
10. Fruit (Canned or Dried)
Fruit, whether dried, canned or in plastic cups, makes excellent snacks for kids and adults and provide some nutrition and fiber. Choose those that are packed in water or fruit juice rather than sugary syrups.
11. Granola Bars
Food banks are always in need of quick and easy items that families can toss into lunches or eat on the go, and granola bars are just the thing. Look for ones with less sugar made with oats or other whole grains.
12. Instant Mashed Potatoes
Instant potatoes last longer and require minimal tools and ingredients to whip up. They’re also a favorite of every age group, making them a popular item. Pass on this recipe for instant potatoes jazzed up with garlic powder for the food bank to share with its visitors (and send along some garlic powder too).
13. Meals in a Box
An entire meal that’s shelf-stable and in one package—dinner doesn’t get easier than that, which is plus for those without stocked kitchens. Look for pasta, rice and soup kits, especially those that are lower in sodium and higher in fiber and protein.
14. Nuts
A handful of nuts provides protein and nutrients in a hurry and is perfect for snacks and lunches. Food banks have a hard time finding them due to their higher price, so donations are essential. Opt for unsalted varieties when possible.
15. Pasta
This is a food bank staple since it’s easy to turn into a meal. Whole grain varieties offer more fiber and nutrition than white pasta.
16. Peanut Butter
Kids and adults like it, and it’s high in protein, making peanut butter one of the most popular items at food banks. Look for varieties that are lower in sugar, and check out our editors’ list of the best tasting picks.
17. Rice
It’s filling, versatile and easy to prepare and store. Skip the white stuff and donate brown rice when possible, because it provides more fiber. Quinoa is also a great item to donate.
18. Shelf-stable and Powdered Milk
Because no fridge is required to keep this milk fresh, it’s accessible for everyone. Plus, it provides much-needed calcium and protein.
19. Soup, Stew and Chili
These canned or packaged items acts as a warm and filling lunch or dinner and often come complete with protein (meat) and veggies. If possible, try to find reduced sodium options.
20. Whole Grain Cereal
Here’s another popular item with all ages, since whole grain cereal makes a healthy breakfast or snack. Select varieties that are low in sugar and high in fiber.
And three to skip?
When purchasing items for a food bank, try to avoid:
Junk food
Items with glass or cellophane packaging, which can be broken in transit
Things that need can openers or special equipment (pop-top cans–whether for veggies, meat or fruit–are a plus)
Now all that’s left to do is shop, donate and feel good knowing you’ve helped stock a home with nutritious and filling groceries. Thumbs way up!
On the 1st of November each year, I set a box aside and start collecting items to donate to my Food Pantry. My donation stays LOCAL and no one is skimming $ off the top. The bulk of my donation gets into the hands of those that really need it.
As well as a nice donation to Free Republic this holiday season, see if you can help your local food pantry, too. Thanks! :)
Nope.
I’ve never understood the silliness of buying food products at retail, plus then paying sales tax on top of that, when these charities can buy the same items at wholesale and NOT pay sales tax.
Donate CASH. Moolah, Dinero, Bread. Let the food banks buy more than you can for less.
I’d agree with the cash option, too. Food isn’t taxed in Wisconsin. (Yet!) I take advantage of BOGO-Free sales throughout the year, too.
I get that pop-tops are easier to deal with, but they are less secure than a crimped top on a can. Dent the can just right, and a pop-top can lose its seal.
Walmart is selling a pound of beef in a can for $10. Imagine how that would feed a family in hard times.
Muffin stumps?
Spam and ham ARE junk food (enough salt to kill you), otherwise a decent list.
Years ago, a friend said “let’s volunteer at the food bank.” I didn’t know what that meant, so she showed me. We did show up every Friday afternoon and help out for Saturday’s onslaught of people. Most of the stuff we handed out was pretty decent stuff. And most of the people picking things up were definitely poor, mostly resettled Russians, rude as they come with a couple of exceptions.
Oregon Food Bank has been popular and very successful for years. I used to donate money as well as food and other items. A couple of years ago I got a letter from them stating they were expanding their program to other social programs beyond food. I smell democrat money laundering.
I only donate food to the food bank now. I donate money to the grocery stores that take that money to donate to the food bank.
It’s jarring to see the number of obese families arriving to collect their free food while driving late model Mercedes, BMW or Cadillac Escalades. Makes me question the “need”.
Family members in public education see the same pattern when “free” school supplies are distributed. Parents with $100 nails, $1000 weaves and driving new Cadillacs there to pick up “free” donated school supplies.
There are undoubtedly people is circumstances or states where getting SNAP benefits is hard. In other states it’s a low-income requirement with an online application and maybe a phone call or visit to the office.
Some years ago, I helped start our church’s food pantry with the hope of helping the people who really needed it. It wasn’t intended to be a monthly resource for the same people over and over. Unfortunately, it didn’t take long to see things going off the rails with the same people calling for appointments, always having six or more children, and a good number of people who showed up for appointments being obese, including the children. My desire to try and verify the people and whether they were already receiving government assistance was met with resistance.
Also, the other two who helped start the pantry didn’t have the same opinion as I did as to how we should stock. I didn’t want any junk foods at all while they protested ‘it was for the children’ who may not know how to cook and that they needed those granola bars, pop tarts, cereal bars, and other snacks. It wasn’t unusual for one of the others to show up with cupcakes, cookies, and even decorated sheet cakes to give out.
Then I noticed how many of the people picking up the food preferred to not even carry their food to their vehicles so not only were the workers packing and bagging the food, checking people in and out, but we were also having to carry food to the waiting vehicles. Helping an elderly person or someone who really needed it wasn’t a problem. But when I hustled some bags of food to a car and found two men sitting in there, smoking, I put the food down, rapped on the window, and then told the men that they needed to get out of the car and help carry their free food.
What finally made me personally walk away was the repeated so-called emergency calls from people claiming that they needed food for their children so we would make an exception to the number we were serving, add them to the list, and pack up food. If it rained, those ‘emergency cases’ were nearly always the ones who didn’t need the food badly enough to show up. After that, I decided I didn’t need the stress and stopped being involved at all. I have no regrets about walking away and not being involved now but I sure do wish I had done it sooner.
Peach
If you are on SSI (disability for people who don’t have enough work credits), you are allowed to own one vehicle of any value and still qualify for benefits. I know someone on SSI that got a couple of “windfalls” (insurance payout, inheritance) and he immediately uses it to buy a brand new vehicle, which he invariably wrecks (probably because he’s on opioids). That guy has spent more money on vehicles than he ever has on a place to live.
Being poor is very comfortable here. I drive past the charity food bank on my way to the shop. It is ALWAYS packed with people loading multiple boxes in to cars. Most cars newer and nicer than mine. We have a growing homeless camp in the forest where the county provides them with trash service, porta potties, and sends a honey bucket to drain their tanks. Another charity brings them propane tanks and gives them heaters, blankets, sleeping bags, etc. They take over small yards even on public lands. They get FREE DELIVERY!!! For the ones who don’t want to live in the forest they get free housing vouchers. They all get free medical care from the mobile clinics or at the hospital. There is a charity dental clinic to give free dental care. They get free education for their kids. Shoe drives. Coat drives. Clothing drives. Toy drives. If you play your cards right you can live your entire existence at the expense of someone else without paying a penny in taxes while having a massive representation in the government.
Items that are taxed are likely not priority food items
Exactly. We volunteered once a month to feed the homeless at my friend’s Temple. When I noticed that most of them had better cell phones and shoes than we did, I opted out.
I’m as cynical as the next guy, too. If you build it (or give it away for free) they will come!
It’s different in my rural area. We don’t have a bunch of Welfare Queens in Caddies - though you only need to go one county over and they are abundant. *Rolleyes*
The people that use my Food Pantry are everyday folk - retired widowed farmers, disabled people, single Moms with little kids, and a few of the crazies you can see roaming the Main Drag and mumbling to themselves at any given time. ;)
My SIL volunteers at one of the largest food pantry operations in the state - it’s not unusual for them to put together a THOUSAND Thanksgiving Dinners in November...and there are still people left wanting.
Do the needy still pull up in their Mercedes Benz and pop the trunk for us to fill it?
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